Lior Lev Sercarz, chef-owner of the New York City spice shop, La Boîte, is one of America’s top spice experts. He reveals his best tips to buy, store and use spices in his new book, The Spice Companion. His first tip: Use spices already in your kitchen more often and in new ways. “There’s not a food or beverage that can’t benefit from a spice or spice blend,” says Sercarz. Add a dash of cinnamon to tomato sauce, for example, or spice up hot chocolate with a pinch of ground ginger. You don’t even have to cook to benefit from using good-quality spices. One of Sercarz’s best clients hates cooking and uses his spices to doctor up prepared food. “I have as much admiration for her as I do for our three-star Michelin chefs,” he chuckles.

Click launch gallery for recipes using these spices!

Here are his creative ideas to use three common spices, plus one that may be new to you.

Bonus tip: Purchase whole peppercorns and use a pepper mill to grind them as needed. Preground pepper may be adulterated with ground olive pits (harmless, but not what you’re paying for), Sercarz warns.

Cayenne pepper (Thomas Schauer)

CAYENNE PEPPER

Flavor profile: medium heat with a sweet-and-sour notes. A good supporting player. “I highly recommend that every kitchen have a small jar of cayenne,” says Lev Sercarz.

Familiar uses: hot sauce, chicken wings, gumbo

Try it in: add a pinch to maple syrup; make a quick cocktail sauce with cayenne, Dijon mustard, mayo, lime juice and ketchup; season pomegranate juice with cayenne and freeze to make ice cubes for holiday cocktails

Plays well with: coriander, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, sumac

Green cardamom (Thomas Schauer)

GREEN CARDAMOM

Flavor profile: subtle notes spicy, sweet and citrus notes with a touch of eucalyptus. Sercarz calls it “a much more sophisticated cinnamon.”

Purchase smaller quantities so you’ll use spices up before they go stale. Don’t buy spices on sale — they’re already old and have lost most of their flavor. “Unlike some wines, spices don’t become better with time,” says Sercarz. Try to use up spices within six months or so.

Take a close look. Ground or whole spices should look vibrant. Grayish or faded-looking spices are signs of age. So is a lot of powder at the bottom of a jar of whole spices.

Check the label. A “best before” date (not something that’s required) is a sign of quality that indicates the manufacturer cares about freshness. A label that tells you where the spice was grown is another sign of quality.

Store spices in glass jars to help protect their flavor and aroma. Avoid metal, which can transfer heat and more spices age more quickly, or wood, which can impart an “off” flavor.

Keep spices on an open shelf or kitchen counter. “If you see them, you’ll use them,” says Sercarz. But don’t stash them next to the stove, where the heat can damage their flavor.

Give spices the sniff test. An intense aroma equals more freshness and flavor. If spices in your cupboard are starting to lose their punch, says Sercarz, just use a bit more and use ’em up.

AMG/Parade Digital

Connect With Us

More from AMG/Parade

Our partners

Your use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance
of our User Agreement,
Privacy Policy,
Cookie Notification,
and awareness of the California Privacy Rights.
Pursuant to U.S. Copyright law, as well as other applicable federal
and state laws, the content on this website may not be reproduced,
distributed, displayed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used,
without the prior, express, and written permission of Athlon Media Group.
Ad Choices